With all of the other activity happening in the first week of the NFL preseason, it's easy to get lost in the fact that Johnny Manziel actually looked like a legitimate NFL quarterback.
If Johnny Football can keep his head screwed on straight heading into Week 2, the Cleveland Browns could have a real advantage going into this duel with the Buffalo Bills.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Connor Shaw was injured last week for the Browns, which could play right into the hands of live bettors. There's no fear of having Shaw come in and take 10 pass attempts away from superior quarterbacks. Cleveland isn't expected to sign anyone else in his place, which leaves Josh McCown, Manziel and Thaddeus Lewis to take the snaps.
Both Manziel and McCown were good in the opener against Washington, combining to go 12-of-16 for 75 yards. McCown had a passing touchdown. Manziel rushed for a score. The Browns were up 14-3 after Manziel's touchdown before things went south when the third and fourth-stringers came into the game.
It probably isn't right to just assume that Matt Simms isn't going to play this week for the Bills, but he only went 0-for-3 with a pick against the Panthers and looked pretty bad.
Matt Cassel was sharp as the team's starter, while Tyrod Taylor surprisingly played second fiddle. E.J. Manuel is now playing as the third-string quarterback. Manuel did throw for the most yards on the team against the Panthers with 77, but 51 of those yards came on one long pass to Deonte Thompson.
WHEN BUFFALO HAS THE BALL
The Bills have a ton of problems to work out right now with their skill position players. They've got a glut of running backs, the last of which, Karlos Williams probably looked the best of them all against Carolina.
Buffalo is clearly going to try to keep the offense relatively simple for these quarterbacks, but against this Cleveland defense, there are going to be opportunities. The Browns are trying to piece together a secondary right now, and they aren't succeeding in doing so. The reason they were ultimately beaten last week by Washington is because they allowed 366 yards of offense, much of which came with the backups in play.
WHEN CLEVELAND HAS THE BALL
The Browns are also going to try to keep things simple, but if Mike Pettine's game plan remains the same in Week 2 as it was in Week 1, we're going to see a lot of passing plays. The team called 38 passing plays against just 16 runs versus Washington. The offensive line was woeful, allowing five sacks, though a lot of that was due to the fact that both Manziel and Shaw held the ball far too long standing in the pocket.
Buffalo's secondary conceded four plays of at least 29 yards against Carolina's passing attack, which isn't a good sign going forward for it. The Browns will take their shots for sure, and if they have as much success as Carolina did, live bettors should know that seven points are always lurking just a play away when the hosts have possession.
TREND TO TRACK
Rex Ryan's best week of the preseason in his coaching career has always been Week 2. He was on the record this week stating just how much he hates losing, even in games which his team executes well as it did last week against Carolina.
However, this is nothing new in his history. Ryan is now just 1-6 in Week 1 of the preseason, but he has followed that up by going 4-2 in Week 2. Live bettors do need to be worried that Ryan is going to pull out just a few stops in this game to get into the win column, especially if the game is winnable in the fourth quarter.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Thursday game at -2.5 in favor of the Browns. The NFL odds total surfaced at 40. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. ET at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
